New Delhi: The city government was on Wednesday
asked by the Delhi High Court to inspect various trial court
premises without informing the concerned bar associations to
ascertain the number of children below 14 years of age working
as helps in tea stalls, eateries and in other menial jobs
there.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice AK Sikri and Justice
Rajiv Sahai Endlaw gave the direction to the city government`s
Labour Commissioner and the Joint Labour Commissioner who
appeared before it in response to a court summon.
The bench asked the two officials to inspect the premises
at regular intervals without intimating the bars and rejected
a labour department report that no child was found working as
labourer in any of the trial court premises.
The bench said if the bar associations were informed
about their proposed inspection of court premises, the
children will be asked by the lawyers to leave the place
during the survey.
The court, however, directed the concerned district judge
to co-operate with the officials during their inspection to
find the truth.
The court had earlier assigned the job of survey to the
government while taking suo motu cognisance of a media report
that children below the age of 14 could be found working as
tea vendors, aides to notaries public and food vendors in and
around Tis Hazari, Patiala House, Rohini, Dwarka, Karkardooma
and the Saket court complex premises.
The report said young children have been employed in
violation of the High Court`s previous order imposing a
complete ban on child labour in the national capital.
PTI
